THE END OF THE WICKED AND THE PEACE OF THE GODLY The circumstances of its writing: The title of this psalm concerns one of the bitter temptations of the prophet David; when he came to ‘Ahimalech’ the priest in ‘Nob’, fleeing from king ‘Saul’. There. He took the sword of Goliath the Philistine; and he, together with those who were with him ate from the holy bread; then fled to ‘Gath’, where he hid in the cave of ‘Adullam’, together with all those with bitter souls (1 Samuel 21-22). When Saul heard of that, and assumed that there was a treason against him among his men, there came ‘Doeg the Edomite’ and told Saul that he saw David in ‘Nob’, and that ‘Ahimalech’ the priest gave him provisions and the sword of Goliath. Saul gave the order to kill Ahimalech together with all the priests in ‘Nob’; and when the servants of the king refused to stretch their hands on the priests of God, ‘Doug the Edomite’ took that role upon himself, and killed 85 priests. In the Septuagint version the number of those killed was 305 men; while Josephus raised it to 385 men. Although it was according to the order of king Saul, yet, what Doeg the Edomite did stamped him as blood-thirsty. The whole city of the priests in Nob was struck by the sword; except for ‘Abiathar’ son of Abimalech who fled after David, who said to him: “I have caused the death of all the persons of your father’s house. Stay with me; do not fear, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe” (1 Samuel 22: 22, 23). Here, the psalmist tell us about the end of evil, and the glory of the persecuted children of God; that made him praise God, and glorify His holy name. 1- The wicked man 1 - 4 2- The destiny of the wicked liars 5 3- The salvation of God 6 - 8 4- Praising God 9 The title: To the Chief Musician. A contemplation of David when Doeg the Edomite went and told Saul, and said to him, “david has gone to Ahimalech”. ‘Doeg the Edomite’. ‘Doeg’ is an Edomite name, meaning (terrified or troubled). He probably was the same servant who accompanied Saul the son of Kish, when he went to look for the lost donkey of his father (1 Samuel 9: 3); And became the chief of the herdsmen of Saul (1 Samuel 21: 7). And because the herds were the main part of Saul’s wealth, the chief of his herdsmen must have been an important person. According to a Jewish tradition, he was one of the most prominent personalities of his time. According to St. Augustine, the word ‘Doeg’ means (movement), and ‘Edom’ means (dust) or (earth). It is as though he represented an earthly, and not a heavenly movement, that corrupts the ministry of the Lord. And according to a Syrian text, this psalm is directed against evil in a general sense; presents a prophecy about the perdition of evil; and constitutes a warning against the kind of religion corrupted by personal selfish motives. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 35 This psalm came to proclaim the boasting by Doeg the Edomite of his evil and violence; symbolizing in this the anti-Christ who boasts of his opposition to the truth, and his persecution of the Lord Christ in the person of His church. It reveals, as well, the deadly weapon of the devil; namely, ‘his tongue’, or the blasphemy of God. Some believe that ‘Doeg the Edomite’ symbolizes ‘Judas’ who betrayed his Lord, under the pretense of the kiss; the same way ‘Doeg the Edomite’ delivered the priests to death, under the pretense of appearing as loyal to his master, and caring about the peace of the people. 1- THEWICKEDMAN: “Why do you boast of evil, O mighty one? The goodness of God endures continually” (1) Some believe that the psalms 52 to 55 present to us a clear portrait of the ‘antichrist’. Here, the psalmist talks about the wicked man who persecutes the righteous. This persecution accompanied humanity since Cain killed Abel. There is ‘Cain’ in every era; but it reaches its climax by the persecution by the anti-Christ of the church. The Holy Book calls this era “the great tribulation” (Matthew 24: 21). The wicked is characterized by iniquity mixed with pride, love of deception, and lies. It would be better for us not to become angry; but in case it happens, this feeling should not, according to the counsel of the apostle, endure longer than one day… And yet, you delay it until the sunset of your life! Do not you know how to say: “sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6: 34)? Why should you hold grudge against him who offended you? It is not he who did wrong against you, but the devil. You should hate the disease and not the patient! “Why do you boast of evil, O mighty one?” (1). The psalm proclaimed that about you when it said: “Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceit all day long” (2). Namely, all along the days of your life, you disobey the Law-Giver who says: “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4: 26); and you never stop talking evil against your neighbor. Therefore the divine revenge uttered by the psalmist by the Spirit, is true; saying: “God shall likewise destroy you forever, He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living” (5). These punishments are the reward of this iniquity. (St. Mother Sankletiki) Of the features of the wicked, according to the psalmist are the following: 1- Boasting of evil: Doeg the Edomite, the herdsman or the chief of the herdsmen of Saul, appeared as a butcher who slays and kills without mercy. He killed the priests who were clothed with the Ephod, helpless men, women, and children, and destroyed a weaponless city; Nevertheless, he showed himself as a strong hero and a mighty man, accusing the righteous of lacking loyalty to the king and the state (1 Samuel 22: 8); but his real interest was gaining the favor of Saul, and the material benefit, beside killing the priests, friends of David1. do; those who glorify in goodness and not in malice: a- Human beings need to be mighty, but in righteousness, not in malice ... 1 W. Plumer: Psalms, p. 556. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 36 let him who boats boast in the lord.(1cor1: 31) They glorify in the Lord, and not in themselves. b- They practice the works for edification with zeal, practice them as strong and steadfast; whereas, if they have to practice seemingly destructive. They do them for edification, and not as pressure on the innocent. (St. Augustine) It is a bitter portrait repeated along the history: There is always a ‘Doeg’ who, counting himself the ‘mighty’, by his position, carrying the sword of authority, he, clothed with violence like his father the devil, directs his hatred toward those clothed with the ‘ephod’ who did him nothing wrong, who are clothed with the spirit of worship to God they heavenly Father. 2- Persistence on evil: They do not stop at doing evil, and boasting of it, but the wicked persists on doing it; practice evil, if not by work or by words, it would be by thought; if his hands are not doing oppression, his heart would keep on moving on the way of evil, never getting tired or bored in their love of iniquity, and in practicing it. The whole day, and your tongue thought injustice Every time relentlessly, taking or rest periods, and without stop, when does not make you think sin, as is not in your hand Sin-making is not divert your heart. (St. Augustine) As saying, "the whole day" means the duration of the life of that, strong, it does not shy, and does not regret of his work and announcing injustice. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) 3- Violence mixed with deception: “Your tongue devices destruction, like a sharp razor working deceitfully” (2) Doeg the Edomite was characterized by cheating and deceit. In his talk to Saul about Ahimelech the priest, he cut off the truth and distorted it; having purposely not hid the actual conversation that occurred between Ahimelech and David, to show the intention of the former, but, by cutting it off he portrayed him as a traitor who helped David the enemy of the king, which greatly stirred up the anger of Saul. Being an Edomite, he deceitfully pretended to accept faith, became a proselyte who presented offerings to the temple, and practiced worship to appear asa righteous man, until he got the chance to realize his heart’s desire to kill the priests and their families. Appearing like a sharp razor, he only managed just to cut the hair off the head, namely, what is extra in man’s life, which is the most that the wicked can do to the children of God, by depriving them of the mortal temporal things, or even of the temporal life itself, by killing the body, that will eventually be gloriously resurrected, sharing with the soul the same crowns. The work of the wicked is nothing more than cutting the hair off the head. Yet, when the Lord Christ says: “The very hairs of your head a4re all numbered; do not fear therefore” (Matthew 10: 30, 31); Let the wicked strike with his sword as much as he wishes, as not a single hair will fall off our head apart from our Father’s will. When Pilate said to the Lord Christ: “Do you not know that I have the power to crucify you, and the power to release You; Jesus answered: You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above” (John 19: 10, 11). https://coptic-treasures.com/ 37 By the deception of his tongue, more than by his sword, Doeg the Edomite could kill the priests. He joyfully and gladly, cut them off like hair by a sharp razor. On the day Jerusalem was under siege, Rabshakeh, by his deceitful tongue, sharper than a razor, said to the Jews: “Your God cannot deliver you from my hand; I shall take you to a land more fertile than yours” (see 2 kings 18: 19-35). Talking to them in their own tongue, he attempted to draw their hearts to him, when he, in truth, intended to cut them off like a sharp razor does to hair. We can also apply that more to Judas (Iscariot), who said to the chief priests: What will you give me, to deliver Jesus to your hands. When they promised to give him 30 pieces of silver, he sought how he might conveniently betray Him. When the night came, he did what he uttered by day light, and attempted like a sharp razor to wipe off our Lord. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) What could the razor of Doeg do to someone who concentrates his eyes on the kingdom of heaven; looking forward to dwell together with God? He can only turn him bald without hair, by which he would belong to Christ who was crucified at the Golgotha, namely the place of the skull (Matthew 27: 33) .The hair refers to the temporal unimportant things that are only extra. Let Doeg the Edomite, then, move his deceitful tongue as much as he wants, for he only can take off the temporal things, while the important ones will last forever (St. Augustine). 4- He loved evil more than good: “You love evil more than good, and lying rather than speaking righteousness” (3) Judas chose evil, namely, the devil, rather than good, namely, Christ. And oppression, or lying rather than preaching the gospel. He preferred to be with the killers of the incarnate God, rather than being among the saintly apostles. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) 5- He loved the deceitful: Here the wicked reaches the climax of his evil; as he, not only practices evil, but boasts it, and loves it as well, and he even loves the wicked people, partakes of their evil, and provokes them to do it with more violence. His pleasure becomes in keeping the company of the wicked, not for any other goal than to enjoy seeing the perdition of people. “You love all devouring words, O deceitful tongue” (4) The devil is called the killer, the liar, and the father of liars. So are the features of the anti-christ, and his followers; about which the psalmist has already talked1. 2- THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED LIARS: “God shall likewise destroy you forever, He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, and uproot you from the land of the living” (5) There are three interpretations of those threats: . 1 راجع تفسیر مزمور 14 https://coptic-treasures.com/ 38 a- Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the prophet David proclaims the tribulations to dwell upon Doeg the Edomite unless he repents. To show His goal of that threat, God says: “The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, If that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight, so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it” (Jeremiah 18: 7-10). That is what happened in the case of Nineveh, whom God threatened through Jonah the prophet; but, once it repented, it enjoyed the divine mercies; and it was said that “God relented and turned away from His fierce anger” (Jonah 3: 9) 1. b- Having see through his experience that the wicked who persist upon their evil, particularly on their violence and deception, would meet a sudden death (Psalm 55: 23), David believed that Doeg the Edomite will not be an exception2. c- This threat was a prophecy about what will dwell upon Judas, the son of perdition, who went and hanged himself; or about the anti-Christ, whose reign would not last for more than three and a half years. In this threat, three things could be noticed: a- If destruction is to be the natural fruit of cheating, deception, or of vanity, for what is vain will certainly end up with vanity, Yet the psalmist refers the process of destruction to God; for, every evil is actually directed personally to God. As for us, our role is not to seek revenge, but repentance of the others. And in case they persist on evil, they would fall into vanity according to the divine justice. Such destruction, being eternal; namely, forever, does not realize instantly; for God in His longsuffering, anticipates the repentance of all; Yet His longsuffering does not imply disregarding the matter. b- Taking the wicked away from, and plucking them out of their dwelling places, means that all what they enjoy of possibilities and capacities: strength, power, authority, possessions, intelligence, wits, etc., are divine gifts that God will take away if they misuse them. c- Uprooting them from the land of the living: If our world is the land of the dead; where no one will live forever, the wicked could live in it like the tares with the wheat. Yet, on the great day of the Lord, the wicked will not enter the land of the living, where the believers who strive with God live, partake of the praises of the heavenly creatures, and enjoy the fellowship of eternal inheritance. Everything built on cheating and lies will be destroyed by God; and every plant not planted by the heavenly Father will be uprooted; the same way with Doeg, who, after having been a heathen Edomite, then entered into the Jewish religion; once he told on David, he was plucked out by God of his dwelling place, namely of the congregation of believers. So it will be with Judas who delivered Christ; He was plucked out of the dwelling place of the apostles, and from the land of the living, namely from among the righteous, and even from the life of this age; as he went and hanged himself. So it is, as well, with those who crucified Christ; He destroyed their city, temple, authority, and sent them to exile….. He scattered them away from their dwelling places, namely, 1 Cf. W. Plumer: The Psalms. 567. 2 Cf. W. Plumer: The Psalms. 567. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 39 from the earthly and the heavenly Jerusalem, and sent them away from the inheritance of the righteous. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) We should have roots in the land of the living. The root could be hidden from sight; whereas the fruits would be visible … Our root is our love, while our fruits are our works. If your works come out of love, your roots are in the land of the living. (St. Augustine) If “love never fails” (1 Corinthians 13: 8), let us, therefore, practice all our works motivated by true love. Then we shall have an inexhaustible deposit in the heavenly places. Whereas, if we practice all our works, “and though we bestow all our goods to feed the poor, and though we give our bodies to be burned, but have not love, it profits us nothing” (1Corinthians 13: 3). Let us have love, to have God, and to dwell together with Him in His heavens forever. 3- THE SALVATION OF GOD: “The righteous shall also see and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, ‘Here is the man who did not make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness” (6, 7) While the wicked despises the longsuffering of God, the righteous, on the other hand, seeing what dwell upon the wicked, they would fear the Lord, and laugh at the weakness and the vanity of evil, and would have benefit for their life, perceiving that whoever trust in the abundance of his riches or in his temporal authority, and in God, would perish; as according to the apostle: “All these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition” (1 Corinthians 10: 11). Practicing their worship and their behavior with others, motivated by love which they enjoy as a divine gift, they will have a complete daring with God, without disregarding His honor and awe: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2: 12); and, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling” (Psalm 2: 11). According to St. Augustine, we, in this world are like those who walk in a dark night, carrying the lamps of the prophetic word. They walk in fear and trembling until the day of eternity dawns, when there will be no more fear. As according to the apostle Peter: “We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1: 19). This is on the negative aspect, when the righteous fear falling into what the wicked do, with their trust in the abundance of their riches and vanity. Whereas on the positive aspect, being planted like olive trees in the house of God, their roots go deep in the sacred soil, to feed on God’s love, mercies, holiness, and word. About the nourishment that their roots absorb as olive trees, the psalmist proclaims: “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever” (8) The kingdom of God likens virgins (Matthew 25: 1), like olive trees, some, bearing the practical fruits of love, tool oil in their vessels; while others, without fruits, https://coptic-treasures.com/ 40 have no oil in their vessels; and hence unable to meet the Bridegroom, nor to enter together with Him into the eternal wedding. I count the Mount of Olives, symbolically refers to the churches of the Gentiles, among which olive trees were planted, and each church can say: “I am like a green olive tree in the house of God” (8). Probably also in the Mount of Olives, where the roots of the good olive trees live; and the branches of the wild olive trees are grafted in the good tree instead of the branches that are broken off because of unbelief (Romans 11: 20). The farmer who dwells on the Mount of olives is the Word of God who works in the church, namely, Christ, who perpetually grafts the wild olive branches in the good tree of Moses and the other prophets; so that being strengthened by the saintly prophets who perceived that their prophecies refer to Christ, the new branches would give forth more fruition than those of the early olive tree that was broken off, and became unprofitable because of the curse of the law1. (The scholar Origen) It is not good enough for us to be like olive trees, laden with commandments on every side, but we have to be fruitful as well2. The virgins, as we well know, had oil, albeit not enough to hold until the time when the Bridegroom arrives (Matthew 25: 3, 8). That is why we are committed to have a plenty of oil, and to be like an olive tree in the house of the Lord. Let us meditate in the heavy burden of sins that each one of us commits against the other; And let us practice works of mercy as much as them3. (St. John Chrysostom) Be an olive tree in the house of God. Do not ever lose hope, but hold fast to faith with the splendor of faithfulness, to liken that plant, and even to surpass it in fruition; through giving an abundance of alms4. (St. Basil the Great) Jesus came to the Mount of Olives (Luke 19: 2, 9), to plant new olive trees on the top of the Mount of virtue, in the Higher Jerusalem, which is the mother of all (Galatians 4: 26). The heavenly Gardner is on this Mount, where all those planted in the house of the Lord would be able to proclaim: “But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God” (8 LXX). This Mount is probably Christ Himself; For who else can produce such fruition, in the perfection of the Spirit in the fruitful nations? For, through Him we ascend, and to Him we ascend (John 3: 13) 5. (St. Ambrose) By killing the priests of God, Doeg the Edomite came to be like him who cuts off olive trees in the house of the Lord, to have the wrath of God dwell on him and on those around him. David, the fugitive, on the other hand, although physically denied the 1 Commentary on Matt 32. 2 In Hebr., hom. 32: 8. 3 Homilies on Ephessians, 24. 4 Hexameron 5: 6. 5 Exposition of Luke 9: 2. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 41 presence in the house of the Lord, Yet, by his fruitful heart, he is like a green olive tree planted in the house of God. Whereas the wicked priests who minister in the temple by their bodies, and not by their hearts, are out of the spiritual house of God, considered as strangers to God, and to His house. Let the wicked do whatever they will; for they shall not be able to uproot the good from the house of the Lord, nor to deny them of their spiritual fruition. On the contrary, the more they oppose and drive them out, the deeper their hidden roots will be in the house of the Lord. 4- PRAISING GOD: The psalmist ends the psalm by praising God, and holding fast to His holy name, saying: “I will praise You forever, because You have done it; and in the presence of Your saints, I will wait on Your name, for it is good” (9) He says: On my own, I have not made myself a fruitful olive tree in the house of my God, But it is Your mercy and Your help that have done it. Hence, I should thank You, and perpetually praise Your name, for the sake of the rest of Your goodness, for You are Good, and the Doer of every goodness; something well known by Your righteous servants. (Father Onesimus of Jerusalem) Doeg is condemned, and David is crowned! It is a great confession of Your works. Bitter is the world; While Your name is exultant (good). As, even though there are sweet things in the world, yet they will eventually turn bitter. Your name is preferred, not only for the sake of its greatness, but for the sake of its exultation as well. He says: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34: 8) Your name is exultant, yet not in the eyes of the wicked. I know how sweet it is, yet only for those who taste it. (St. Augustine) By that, the psalmist revealed the features of the wicked who opposes God in the persons of His saints; using both violence and craftiness; and will perish because of his evil, will get to vanity, and will be driven out of the land of the living. The righteous, on the other hand, who endures the persecution of the wicked for the sake of the Lord, will be planted by God in His house as an olive tree, that bears the fruition of the Spirit, and is watered by love and divine mercy. By this, the righteous will experience the sweetness of the mercies of God; will glorify His name, and will preaise Him forever. https://coptic-treasures.com/ 35 AN INSPIRATION FROM PSALM 52 PLANT ME IN YOUR HOUSE A FRUITFUL OLIVE TREE Plant me in Your house, a fruitful olive tree; Let me carry oil in my vessel; To enter together with the wise virgins into Your wedding; And enjoy fellowship with You in Your gl;ories. Hold fast the roots of love in me; To be nourished by Your love and Your mercy. And to bear the fruition of the Spirit, that bring pleasure to the heart of the Father. Let the wicked enemy strike with his whole energies; He will never be able to uproot me from Your house; Let him strike my head with his razor; He will only take away the hair from it; In all that, You even care to count the number of hairs in my head; Of them not a single hair will fall down without Your permission.
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